This is true. However, we know that Tennessee has been falling apart in the late season. Morale can't be good already and this will probably make it worse. Of course, I'm a Michigan fan, so it's easy for me to say that.

I see this as a strategic move by Tennessee to get the players to rally around Pearl for a tournament run. It reminds of of Ohio State announcing before the Michigan game that Earl Bruce would be fired at the end of the season. It worked then, and I hope it doesn't work now.

My point is simply that by that point (the 89 tournament) the coach wasn't undermined -- by the threat of beign fired or leaving for ASU. The new coach -- Fischer -- was totally stable. Pearl -- and the players -- if this report was legitimate, would not have that level of stability.

Well now that I think about it, Fischer was interm coach so I suppose the analogy works better than I first though.

Tennessee isn't going to go on a Cinderella run. Their athletic program has been in trouble for years and this story continues the trend. They might beat Michigan; it's entirely within the realm of possible outcomes of the game, but they don't have the offensive guns to hang with Duke.

Would this make it easier, or more likely that the NCAA will slap the "Show Cause" label on his ass? If so, with Pearl already having been fired, would that still set a "Show Cause" precedent for the Tressel situation?